Two More Lawsuits Seek To Stamp Out Legal Marijuana In Colorado – Huffington Post

Two lawsuits filed in federal court Thursday aim to shut down Colorado’s regulated marijuana industry, claiming that the state’s recreational marijuana laws are in violation of federal law.The suits, filed by the anti-drug group Safe Streets and three other plaintiffs, target a number of Colorado lawmakers, including Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), Revenue Department Executive Director Barbara Brohl and Marijuana Enforcement Division Director W. Lewis Koski. They allege that by allowing for a regulated marijuana market, these lawmakers are breaking federal law, which considers the plant illegal.But going a step beyond simply suing the state, the plaintiffs — Phillis Windy Hope Reilly, Michael P. Reilly and New Vision Hotels Two, the corporate owner of a Holiday Inn in the state — are also going after participants in Colorado’s commercial marijuana industry. Citing federal racketeering laws, the plaintiffs are seeking damages due to alleged injury brought on by legalization.The suits name as plaintiffs a number of participants in Colorado’s marijuana industry, including various marijuana businesses and their owners, as well as several parties who have provided support for those businesses through banking, insurance and accounting services. The suits even name a construction company, claiming that it agreed to transport water to a marijuana grow.”The Reillys are Colorado property owners who have been injured by a conspiracy to cultivate recreational marijuana near their land,” one of the suits reads. “New Vision is… the owner of the Holiday Inn in Frisco, Colorado. It is suffering injuries to its business and property caused by the operations of Summit Marijuana, a state-licensed recreational marijuana store that plans to open less than 75 yards from the front entrance of New Vision’s hotel.” All plaintiffs, according to the suits, are members of Safe Streets, a Washington, D.C.-based group dedicated to combating crime and drugs. The group is led by James Wootton, a former Reagan Department of Justice appointee.The suits argue that under the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, which states that federal law generally takes precedence over state law, Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana is unconstitutional, because marijuana remains illegal at … – Click Here To Visit Article Source